2023 mock NFL Draft: 49ers watch NFC get significantly stronger
. Quarterback. Wildcats . Will Levis. 9. player. 833
On the clock: Pick No. 9: Carolina Panthers – Will Levis, Quarterback, Kentucky
We all know the drill by now: Quarterbacks get overdrafted, and they get overdrafted often.
Will Levis isn’t a top-10 talent alone, but his position and upside mean he will get top-10 consideration in the NFL Draft. The Carolina Panthers have been a team consistently linked to drafting a quarterback, and Levis fits here, as he has Cam Newton upside.
The pros are pretty obvious. Levis has an excellent arm and mobility similar to the aforementioned Newton. He has the strength to truly stretch the field and the legs to attack the space underneath it.
The drawbacks are also pretty obvious. Levis had trouble diagnosing defenses at Kentucky and threw a lot of inaccurate passes and interceptions (10 interceptions to only 19 touchdowns this season) that he shouldn’t have. Accuracy suffers as a result, and he had a poor 2022.
In defense to Levis, he had to go through a different offensive scheme that didn’t suit him and he lost his top receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson, to the NFL. So, perhaps, regression was unavoidable. Anyone who drafts Levis will have to take care to develop him slowly and craft the offense around him similar to Justin Fields in Chicago.
The Panthers are desperate for a quarterback, however, and Levis would be the best home-run swing here for them. If they take care of their project and perhaps hold off playing him until 2024, they could reap the benefits of his high upside.